Folate Deficiency
Folate deficiency, also called vitamin B9 deficiency, is a state in which the body's folate stores are too low to meet its requirements for DNA synthesis, cell division, and methylation. Because rapidly dividing cells depend on folate, low folate status is associated with enlarged (macrocytic) red blood cells and with elevated homocysteine on blood work. Reported symptoms are nonspecific and may include fatigue and weakness, difficulty concentrating, and mood changes, which overlap with many other conditions including vitamin B12 deficiency. For that reason folate deficiency is identified by a clinician through blood testing rather than by symptoms alone.
How Medical Foods Can Help
A medical food is formulated for the specific dietary management of a condition with distinctive nutritional requirements, and it is intended to be used under the ongoing supervision of a physician. Iaomai's EB-V1 is the medical food listed for this condition category. It supplies folate as L-methylfolate, the bioactive form the body uses directly in one-carbon metabolism, alongside methylcobalamin, the bioactive form of vitamin B12 that participates with folate in the methylation cycle converting homocysteine to methionine. The formula also includes vitamin D3 and CoQ10. This is a nutritional approach that addresses dietary intake of specific nutrients under a physician's supervision; it is not a drug, and it does not replace the lab work, diagnosis, and care your physician provides.
Folate in Red Blood Cell Formation
Folate is required for the DNA synthesis that dividing cells depend on, including developing red blood cells, which is why folate status is part of the standard clinical workup for macrocytic anemia.
A Methyl Donor in the Methylation Cycle
L-methylfolate donates a methyl group in the cycle that regenerates methionine and S-adenosylmethionine, reactions the body draws on for neurotransmitter and myelin synthesis.
Folate and Rapidly Dividing Cells
Immune cells, like other cell lines with high turnover, rely on folate-dependent DNA synthesis. This is part of why adequate dietary folate intake is a recognized nutritional consideration in folate deficiency.
Common Symptoms
- Chronic fatigue and weakness
- Memory problems and difficulty concentrating
- Mood changes and irritability
- Elevated homocysteine
- Poor immune function
What Causes Folate Deficiency?
Folate deficiency develops when intake, absorption, requirements, or metabolism fall out of balance with what the body needs. A common contributor is inadequate dietary intake, particularly a diet low in leafy greens, legumes, and fortified grains. Absorption can be reduced by gastrointestinal conditions such as celiac disease and Crohn's disease, and alcohol use can both interfere with folate absorption and increase urinary losses. Several medications, including methotrexate, sulfasalazine, and certain anticonvulsants, can interfere with folate metabolism. Requirements increase during pregnancy and lactation, when demand for rapid cell division rises. Metabolism itself can be a factor: common variants in the MTHFR gene, such as C677T and A1298C, are associated with reduced efficiency in converting folic acid into L-methylfolate, the bioactive form of folate used in one-carbon metabolism. Whatever the contributor, the downstream biology is similar. Folate is required for the DNA synthesis that dividing cells depend on, so low folate status is associated with impaired red blood cell production and with macrocytic anemia. Folate is also involved in the cycle that converts homocysteine to methionine, so deficiency is associated with elevated homocysteine and with disruption of the methylation reactions the body draws on for neurotransmitter and myelin synthesis.
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Individual experience. Results vary from person to person and are not typical or guaranteed. Testimonials describe one person's experience and are not evidence that any product will work for you. Iaomai Health products are medical foods for the dietary management of specific conditions, intended for use under the supervision of a physician.
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